16 -

Christmas morning shined bright with the sun bouncing off the freshly fallen snow. Harry awoke to squeals of delight coming from downstairs. He grabbed his robe and stuck his feet into his slippers before heading out to the hallway. He met up with Severus as the potion master emerged from his bedroom at the same time.

"Merry Christmas son," Severus said.

"Merry Christmas Dad," Harry answered back. He had been looking forward to a real Christmas for as long as he could remember. He doubted anyone knew just what this day with his father really meant to him.

As they walked down the hallway Harry leaned into his father and placed an arm over his shoulder. With his sudden growth spurt this past year he was now only a few inches shorter than Severus.

Severus was pleased that Harry was getting back to the way he used to be. He enjoyed his son's company immensely. He looked down into Harry's face and could still see that excited little boy buried somewhere deep inside. It warmed his once hardened heart to see the childlike excitement in Harry had not been effected by the horrible events that had taken place.

Harry walked into the living room and stopped when he spotted Charlet surrounded by a mountain of gifts, some open, some still wrapped. A sudden memory of Dudley came to mind. How many years had he been stuck in his cupboard while Dudley opened mountains of gifts? He remembered peeking through the slats on the door to watch Dudley open gift after gift. Once Dudley had finished, the Dursley's would let him out of the cupboard only to be told to clean up the mess left behind. The recollection put a damper on his mood.

Severus didn't know what had triggered Harry's sudden mood change but he had a feeling it had something to do with Charlet. The spoiled girl barely looked at her newly opened gift before shoving it away to open another. He picked up a package with a big silver bow. The card read TO CHARLET but it didn't give a clue as to who had sent it.

"Charlet, may I inquire as to whom sent you this plethora of gifts," Severus asked in between cries of joy from girl. He had arranged for Narcissa to pick up a few gifts for the girl on her last trip to Diagon Alley but he knew she would not have purchased this many.

Charlet barely glanced at the men in the room. "Just some friends."

Severus hoped his suspicion was wrong but knew it was his duty to ask, "Vespa?"

Charlet immediately dropped the package she was holding and forced her face into a pout, "No Severus! How could you even mention her name to me! You know she abandon me like some half blood orphan!" the bad-tempered girl looked towards Harry before saying, "Oops, sorry Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes, "sure you are." He walked towards the tree and bent down to pick up a package with his name on it. The card said it was from Severus. He looked up at his dad before carefully unwrapping the box. He held up a black book with his name engraved on the front. The book had a picture of a cauldron on one page and across from that a blank page. When Harry flipped through it he found all the pages to be the same.

"Um…" Harry had no idea what the book did.

" I suppose an explanation might be in order," the Severus said. "You simply put a drop of any potion into the cauldron and a list of ingredients will appear on the other page. The book is actually quite rare."

Harry knew his father was thinking of how handy the book would have been this past year. "Wow, thanks!" He carefully closed the book then ran a hand over the top.

Charlet made her opinion of the gift known to all, "How boring! I hope you didn't get one of those things for me because I won't even open it!"

Harry didn't want to hurt his father's feelings, "It's a great gift Dad. I'm sure it will come in great use."

"Here is another that you might find to be a bit more appealing," Severus held out a large package wrapped in gold with a green velvet bow tied around it.

Charlet stopped unwrapping her gift to watch.

Harry carefully unwrapped the heavy gift, balancing it on his knees. He was shocked to find himself holding a pensieve. He could see a few memories swirling inside.

"Now you may safely lock away any memory you wish to explore at a later date. I put a few memories in there of your mother. I am sure you will find them quite amusing," Severus said.

Harry felt a lump form in his throat. He had precious few memories of his mum. He carefully held onto the stone bowl, "Thank you. I think it's the best gift I've ever received." He wanted to give his dad a hug but felt too awkward with Charlet in the room. Severus seemed to understand though and came to sit next to him. Harry felt a warm hand squeeze his shoulder then a simple pat on the back.

Once he gathered his emotions Harry reached into his robe pocket for the only gift he had to give. He had stayed up late last night to write his father a letter. With a fair amount of embarrassment he handed the sealed parchment to Severus. "Read it later, okay?"

Severus took hold of the letter as if it were fragile. He stuck it in his robe pocket then placed a hand on top of it.

"You didn't get him anything but a letter… and after all he's done for you?" Charlet asked with incredulity. "Merlin Harry, you have a room filled with gifts sent from all those people that you could have chosen from."

Harry's face reddened as he started to second guess his gift.

"It is by far the best gift I have ever received," Severus stated with his eyes narrowing at the spoilt brat.

"How do you know? You haven't even read it yet," Charlet said in a petulant voice as she peeked into the package she was holding then pulled out a new gown with matching shoes.

"I know… because it came from the heart," was all Severus said. He could tell this conversation was making Harry uncomfortable so he pulled a small pile of gifts from under the tree and placed them before Harry. "I believe these are from your closest friends."

Harry carefully placed the pensieve on the coffee table before starting in on his pile of gifts. He wished he could just take the pensieve and head back up to his bedroom. The allure of witnessing new memories of his mum was quite a pull.

He had to wait longer still since the house elves had prepared an elaborate brunch. The mood was relaxed and festive as they all sat around talking about what they wanted to do during the remaining days of the holiday. Harry planned to visit the Weasley's, Charlet planned to have friends come and stay and Severus was looking forward to some quiet time spent in his lab.

XXXXXXXXXXX

After breakfast Severus went into his lab to do some work and to read his letter. Harry was excited to see what memories were in the pensieve. He went into his bedroom and began to shut the door. He heard a sound in the hallway but he couldn't see anyone around. He stood in the doorway for another moment. Another sound coming from Severus room caught his attention. He quietly walked down the hallway and stood at the threshold to his father's bedroom. "Hello?" Nothing. Another scuttle.

"Dad, is that you?"

A sudden breeze went past him. He turned to look down the hall but again nothing could be seen. Was he just imagining things or was something really there? He pulled his wand from his pocket and cast a Reveal spell. He had learned the spell at the training camp. It was suppose to reveal anyone hiding under a cloak or invisibility potion. The spell was perhaps the hardest one he had ever learned because it required your complete concentration and only revealed the person hiding for a split second. He wasn't very surprised when the spell didn't reveal anything. He thought about telling Severus but decided he was just getting paranoid after what had happened to him in the graveyard.

He went back into his bedroom and shut the door firmly behind him, adding a locking spell to help ease his childish paranoia. He felt ridicules for acting so suspicious in his own home but at least no one else knew.

He quickly forgot about the noises when he saw the pensieve sitting on the table by the fireplace. With a slight prod to the swirling mist of memories in the pensieve he was immediately sucked into the past.

A moment later he found himself swirling through time as the pensieve with Severus' memory took hold of him. He opened his eyes to find himself on the banks of the Black Lake. It was a hot sunny day and there were students lying on the grass and picnicking in various spots. Severus had an open book on his lap and was leaning against a tree in the shade by himself. There was a group of people on the other side of the bank that Severus seemed to be watching. Harry narrowed his eyes to follow the line of sight his new father was looking at.

He immediately spotted his mum with her bright ginger hair glistening in the sun. She had broken away from the giggling group of girls to dip her feet in the lake. She was holding her skirt up so it wouldn't get wet and her bare feet were balancing on the stones as she stepped further into the lake. She suddenly stopped walking and turned to look in their direction. She waved to Severus and Harry turned to see Severus' face redden since he had been caught staring. A moment later his mum walked up to them and sat down under the tree. She tucked her bare feet under her and placed her hands in her lap.

"I don't suppose you would care to dip your feet in the lake, Severus?" Lily said in a playful tone.

Severus pushed the hair out of his eyes, "No thank you. I have reading I must get to."

"Ah, come on Sev, your reading can wait," Lily said as she playfully tugged on his sleeve.

Severus looked around, presumably for the marauders. He looked back at Lily and shook his head, "I best keep to my schedule."

Lily stood up, "I hope all that studying pays off. See you later Severus." She ran back to join her friends before the memory evaporated and Harry found himself in a different place.

He stood next to Severus by the train, amongst all the Hogwarts students. He could hear the students saying goodbye to each other. Severus stood alone, most everyone ignored him, making Harry feel sorry for his new father. Even the teachers passed him by without so much as a 'have a nice summer.'

Severus seemed to be waiting for someone as he looked around. A moment later Harry saw his mum weaving her way over to them. She stopped before Severus and hesitantly gave him a quick hug.

Severus had a look of surprise as he hugged her back.

"Take care of yourself Severus. I know things haven't been easy but I promise they'll get better for you now that your not at school anymore. I bet you become a famous potion master someday!"

Severus gave her a small smile. He suddenly stopped smiling and reached for his arm. Harry immediately knew it was the dark mark calling. "Take care Lily. Try to stay safe. It isn't safe in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley for you."

Lily seemed to take offence, "Why, because I'm Muggle born?"

"Yes."

"That's ridiculous! I'm not going to be scared out of spending time amongst wizards because of you-know-who! Maybe I'll even join the fight against him. What do you think of that?"

"I think it foolish," Severus answered honestly.

Lily threw her shoulders back and stood up straighter, "We'll see about that. In any case, I truly hope you find happiness, Severus. You deserve it, you know?"

Severus rubbed at the same spot on his inner arm, "I'm not sure that I do."

Lily stepped forward and placed a chaste kiss to his cheek, "You do deserve it. I'm sure we'll meet again." She walked away, looking back just once. Her green eyes shining with unshed tears.

Harry wished the memory would continue and even tried to follow his mum through the crowd.

He found himself standing in his bedroom with tears prickling his own eyes. His mum had seen the good in Severus, even if it was buried deep inside him. She had known that he was good, even way back before he knew it himself.

This was by far the best gift he had ever received.

Later that day Severus stopped by Harry's room to see how he was doing. The potion master stood at the door and watched his son sleeping peacefully on the sofa by the fire. He held onto the letter Harry had written to him in one hand. The letter was simple but to the point; Harry had found his own happiness by finding a family. The feeling was mutual. Without waking his son he quietly closed the door.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Later that day Draco and Narcissa stopped by to deliver gifts just before supper time. Harry knew Mrs. Malfoy probably planned it that way knowing that Severus would most likely invite them to stay for supper. He didn't mind Draco's company but he couldn't stand Mrs. Malfoy's false pleasantness whenever Severus was around. It bothered him that he had to share his first Christmas with his father with the likes of Narcissa Malfoy!

As soon as she saw Harry she opened her arms." Come here Harry. It is so good to see you at your proper age. Severus told me how that convict Black hexed you. That man should be back in Azkaban after what he did to you!"

Harry couldn't make himself move forward. He stood staring at the obtuse woman with her arms held out wide. She had no business even speaking of his godfather. He didn't realize he was glaring until he heard Severus clear his throat.

"Narcissa, Harry has a close bond with Black. He feels rather protective of their relationship," Severus stated as a warning to the woman.

"Oh my Severus, I had no idea you actually condoned that friendship," Narcissa lowered her arms to place her hands on her hips. "I can't imagine you would willingly let Harry spend anytime with a man like that. Our family has always thought of him as the black sheep of the family. His own mother saw fit to disown him."

"Don't talk about Sirius," Harry said in a quiet but deadly voice.

"You have no business spending time with someone like that, especially with the elevated position you have been granted as of late. My word, what will people think of you if they found out you actually know that wretched excuse for a man," came the falsely concerned voice of Narcissa.

"Shut the bloody hell up!" Harry spat out before he could stop himself. He shot a look to Severus and could see the man's angry glare shift from Narcissa to him. Without saying another word he turned and headed up to his room. On his way up the stairs he could hear both Severus and Draco give Narcissa an ear full. He slammed the door to his bedroom before slumping into a chair by the fire. Damn woman! He hated hearing Sirius being talked about badly by anyone but most especially from Sirius' own family members. He hated Narcissa and her high and mighty ways.

That horrible dream from yesterday came to mind again. His stomach twisted with worry for the animangus.

Just then a brusque knock sounded at his bedroom door.

With a flick of his wand the door opened to reveal his father. Harry looked down at his hands, getting ready for the lecture that was sure to come. Severus walked in and took a seat across from him on the sofa.

"Narcissa wishes to apologize. She had no idea you and Black were so close," Severus said in a calm voice. He could tell Harry was against this just from the way the teen's shoulders stiffened the moment her name was mentioned.

"I want to go see him," Harry said with force.

Severus leaned forward and placed a hand atop of his son's, "I do not feel that is advisable. Pomfrey has informed me that Black is still distraught."

Harry moved his hands away before stating in a calm, cool voice, "I need to see him, Severus."

Severus sat up straighter over hearing Harry use his first name. He didn't like the demanding tone in which Harry used it, "That is Dad to you."

"Please, Dad."

Severus could hear how adamant the young man was and knew Harry wouldn't be content until he saw the mutt with his own eyes. Knowing that Harry would find his own way to Grimmauld Place he reluctantly agreed, "I will take you to see him after supper."

"Thanks, it means a lot to me," the Gryffindor said in a quiet voice. "Dad, can I ask another favor?"

Severus nodded.

"Would you mind very much if I let Sirius have the mirror you gave me?" In a rush Harry quickly added, "You and I are together so much anyway, you know at school and home and Sirius is stuck at Grimmauld Place and …"

Severus cut him off by placing a hand atop his once more, "Relax Harry, that would be fine with me."

"Thanks Dad," Harry said with relief.

"However," the Potion Master begun in a much stricter voice, "your conduct downstairs was uncalled for. I will not have you using language like that to anyone. You must apologize immediately."

As much as it chagrined Harry to have to apologize, he was rather embarrassed of his outburst. He didn't know why he had reacted so intensely towards that woman. He nodded as he stood up. He felt his father grip his shoulder and turn him. Now they were standing face to face.

"I believe Narcissa is only trying to watch out for your best interests. She was in tears after you left."

Harry didn't believe they were real tears of regret but he didn't say so to his father, "Yes sir."

Severus could see the teen was struggling with having to say he was sorry. It would do Harry well to have to own up to his insolence though. "Perhaps next time you will consider your words before you speak. I do not care how famous you become, I will always expect proper conduct from you at all times."

Harry swallowed the sharp come back he wanted to make only because he didn't want Severus to change his mind about taking him to Grimmauld Place. He kept his opinion of Narcissa to himself, "Yes sir."

"Furthermore, I believe we have established our relationship. From this point forward I do not think it is suitable for you to use my given name. Most especially when you are angry," Severus said warningly.

Harry knew his father was right. He had used Severus' name just to make a stronger point. "Sorry."

Severus put an arm over the young man's shoulder as they walked to the door.

Once they were in the living room Harry noticed Draco glaring at his mother. Narcissa moved forward and embraced Harry. Harry reluctantly placed a hand on her back before pulling away.

"Oh Harry, I had no idea you were so close to Sirius. I should have kept my opinions to myself," Narcissa said beseechingly.

Harry glanced at his father before saying, "Sorry I spoke to you that way." He hated apologizing to the phony woman. She embraced him once again but this time he kept his hands at his sides.

Thankfully Kinsi announced supper was ready before anymore false apologies could be made. Harry noticed how Severus took hold of Narcissa'a arm to escort her to the dining room and how she wrapped an arm around his waist.

Supper went without a hitch but Harry still wished Narcissa hadn't been invited to stay. All Harry could think of was his visit to see Sirius. Once supper ended Narcissa asked for a word in private with Severus.

Charlet immediately went upstairs to organize her new clothes, or rather to order her house elf to organize the clothes.

Draco looked like he was struggling to say something before blurting out, "My mum fancies Severus, you know?"

Harry thought as much, "Yeah."

"You don't like it much, do you?"

"Not particularly, no."

Draco shrugged, "I think she's asking Severus to come to the ball tomorrow. My mum's bent on getting back into the social scene again. She thinks this ball will be good for the Wizarding World."

Harry didn't see how a ball could be beneficial to anyone, "What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it; the Wizarding families with most of the money and businesses have been shunned by society at large. This is their chance to prove their allegiance to the minister and Dumbledore."

"You mean Dumbledore's going to be there?" Harry asked with disbelief.

"Yeah, he's coming. The Minister's coming too. I guess they want the Wizarding World to unite. Dumbledore wants everyone to be at peace. My mum's invited Muggles too."

Harry coughed into his hand, "She must be desperate!"

"She is," Draco admitted. "The party might actually help to unite people though. I hope it works … for my sake too."

"Your sake?"

Draco stuck his hands in his pocket then nervously paced in front of the Christmas tree, "In case you haven't noticed; I'm not very popular with the students at Hogwarts. Everyone thinks because my dad was a Death Eater that I must be one too. This party will help everyone to understand that a lot of family members didn't necessarily agree with their spouses or children agree with their parents. I might even be let back into Hogwarts if everything goes as planned."

Harry hadn't thought of what Draco must be going through. If it wasn't for the Slytherin then Ginny might not be here. He hoped everything worked out for Draco's sake.

The adults entered the room with Narcissa's hand on Severus' arm. She looked triumphant as they said their goodbye's and stepped into the fire.

Harry looked at his father and noticed lipstick on the man's shirt collar. He couldn't help the laughter that erupted from his mouth after all those talks on decorum that Severus was so fond of giving.

Severus looked confused for a moment before wandlessly using legilimency on him. Once the Potion Master figured out what Harry was laughing at he scowled at the teen before spelling the lipstick away. He ignored Harry's cheeky grin and opted to lecture the boy instead.

Severus handed Harry his cloak before giving a dire warning, "I will not tolerate any mischievous ways from Black. At the first sign that he is incapable of behaving properly, we are leaving. If the mutt so much as touches his wand I'll hex him. Furthermore you are to obey everything I tell you without question. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Harry said in a solemn voice. He hoped Sirius behaved so he wouldn't require an escort every time he wanted to visit. There was really no telling how Sirius would react to Severus' presence.

As soon as Harry stepped into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place he was welcomed by a big black dog jumping on his chest and licking his face.

"Eww gross Sirius!" Harry laughed as he scratched the dog behind the ears. The black dog wagged his tail before turning back into the man; Sirius.

Sirius threw his arms around his godson, "Merry Christmas kiddo!" Just then Severus flooed in, bringing a sudden frown to Sirius' face. "What the bloody hell is he doing here?"

Harry put his hands on his godfather's chest, "Calm down Sirius. Severus is going to stay." He said the last sentence with a finality, hoping to stem off any arguments.

Remus stepped closer, putting a hand on the best friend's shoulder, "Severus is welcome to stay." He grabbed Sirius' arm and whispered in his ear, "Sirius remember what we talked about? Calm down."

Sirius faced the potion master, "Yeah, you can stay."

Severus cocked an eyebrow. "With an invitation like that, how can I refuse?" his sarcastic comment earned him a frown from his son. He frowned back as he took a seat at the kitchen table piled high with dirty dishes. He pulled a book from his cloak and began to read.

Sirius pretended Snape wasn't there and went about talking with Harry as if nothing had ever happened. They talked about Quidditch and the Marauders. Remus begun to clean the kitchen and Harry offered to help. They had a contest over who could wash the dishes the fastest. Sirius won only because half the dishes he washed still had food left on them. Remus and Harry gave him a trophy made out of the left over mashed potatoes.

Harry could tell Severus didn't think very highly of their games when he saw the Potion Master roll his eyes or shake his head. Severus kept his eyes on the book he was reading and didn't say a word.

Secretly Severus was rather jealous of the easy banter between the animangus and his son. He knew he would never let his guard down enough to have that sort of relationship with the boy. He talked himself into believing it was for the best though. It was obvious Black would make a better friend than a father.

Just before it was time to leave, Harry put his hand in his pocket and rubbed the mirror Severus had given him. "Sirius, I know you gave me a mirror so we could talk with each other. I'm not sure if Remus told you but I broke the mirror you gave me."

Sirius nodded his head, "Yeah, Remus told me. I wish I could replace it Harry but those mirrors are really rare. We'll just have to rely on owls for the time being."

Harry pulled out the mirror and handed it to Sirius, "Sirius, I want you to have this. I have the match." He pulled the matching mirror from his pocket.

Sirius held the mirror with care, "Where did you get this? These mirrors are very rare."

Harry looked towards his dad then back to Sirius, " My dad gave it to me and I'm giving it to you."

Sirius bristled when he heard Harry call Snape dad but he realized the rarity of the gift he was being given. He looked at Snape and quietly said, "Thank you."

Severus nodded back then saw the smile on his son's face. He knew he would never be able to find another set of mirrors like those again but he was glad he had agreed to this, for the simple fact that it made Harry happy.

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I hope you enjoyed Harry's first Christmas with Snape. The next chapter will be filled with excitement!!!!